Baseball: Vikings, Saints split Friday doubleheader

The Valley City State baseball team split a home doubleheader Friday against Presentation College.

The Saints rallied to win game one 5-3 after scoring four runs in the top of the seventh inning. The Vikings bounced back with a 6-5 win in game two, ending a Presentation rally with a double play in the top of the seventh.

Valley City State is now 16-23 overall and 4-4 in the North Star Athletic Association.

The Vikings will host Presentation College for two more games on Saturday at 12 and 2 p.m.

Presentation College 5, VCSU 3
The Vikings scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to take a 3-1 lead, but it would not stand as the Saints rallied with four runs on four hits in the top of the seventh.

Presentation outhit the Vikings 10-6. Cole Honl had two hits, a run and an RBI to pace the Viking offense. Dan Buehner also drove in a run and Anthony Necochea collected two hits.

Jaime Villearreal was tagged with the loss after entering the 7th inning with two runners on. Chip Rosales started on the mound, working six innings and allowing six hits and three runs. He was taken out after allowing the first two batters to reach in the top of the seventh.

VCSU 6, Presentation College 5
The Vikings never trailed in game two but had to hang on down the stretch. VCSU built a 4-1 lead after scoring single runs in the first and second innings and two runs in the third.

Presentation cut the lead to 4-3 with two runs in the top of the 8th, but the Vikings added two big insurance runs in the eighth on a sacrifice bunt by Hayden Johnson and an RBI single from Jared Meiklejohn.

VCSU needed both those runs as Presentation College loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the ninth against reliever Mike Gershman. Two runners scored on a sacrifice fly and an RBI single, but with the tying run on second Gershman got a double-play to end the game. Presentation's Drew Sanders hit a soft line drive that ticked off the glove of third baseman Anthony Myer. Shortstop Jared Meiklejohn picked the ball up, tagged the runner coming from second and finished off the game with a force out at second base.

The bottom of the order came through offensively for Valley City as Meiklejohn had two hits and two RBIs, and Hayden Johnson drove in three runs – two of which came on his double in the third inning.

Corey Pudas started and worked six strong innings on the mound, allowing just three hits and one unearned run as he picked up the victory. Jaime Villarreal worked a scoreless 7th inning. Gershman pitched the final two innings, allowing four hits and three earned runs.